Seducee
by albusdumbledoreismyhomeboy
Summary: "Seducee? I don't think that's even a real word! And if it were, I would be almost certain that you were one. After all, your seduction techniques leave a lot to be desired!" Will Lily finally give James a chance? T for some bad language.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: JK ROWLING OWNS ALL. **

**Written as an anti writers block exercise.**

**So this story was going to be a single event interspersed with memories, but I felt it lacked flow, so now it is snippets of memories, followed by a huge, massive event. This means some chapters may be very, very short.**

_ James had been walking through the common room towards his dorm when it happened. It was Friday evening, and it would have been an utterly uneventful week, busy with the preparation for OWLS if it hadn't been for this one event. An event that James would think about for a very long time, replaying it over and over in his mind, thinking about each precise detail individually._

_ He was about to step onto the spiral staircase that led up to the fifth form dormitories, when he had heard someone cry his name._

_ "James!" _

_ He swivelled around, but before he knew it she'd pressed her lips to his, kissing him as if there was no tomorrow. He kissed her back feverishly, pulling her willowy frame closer, feeling her hands fisting up in his jet-black hair. He couldn't believe it, Lily Evans; the Lily Evans was kissing him. He had no idea what had brought on this massive change of heart, but he didn't question, only silently thanked his lucky stars as they continued. _

_ Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself being pulled sharply backwards by his collar, breaking him away from the scene he had dreamed of for so long. Dazed, he looked forwards; Lily seemed to be held back by another girl._

_ "But, I'm not done, we're not done!" he heard her say._

_A hand slapped him hard across the face. _

_ "How dare you take advantage of her like that?" a voice said, but James didn't see who it belonged to, he was too busy watching the struggling Lily, as she fought against her oppressor. _

_ "Lily, you've got to drink this!" the girl said. Lily was refusing, attempting to turn back towards him. _

_He didn't understand. What was going on? The girl laughed towards him. _

_ "Man, that must have been some love potion!" she chuckled._

_ A love potion? The words rang in James' ears. The only way she'd ever be interested in him was through a love potion? Clearly his feelings for her had become a joke to her friends. He'd taken advantage, been opportunist. This was a wake up call. She wasn't interested. He needed to move on. _

_ Slowly, he turned away and began to walk up the stairs. This was the start of a new era. The start of a new James. _

_ The next day he had sat down beside her in Charms. She had shied away from him, blushing. He looked over to her, studying her features. She avoided his gaze._

_ "Could you lend me a quill?" he asked, feebly looking for an excuse to break the silence._

_ She glanced down. "Yeah, sure," she'd answered quietly._

_ She passed the quill over to him. He took it, and smiled at her. She quickly looked away._

_ The lesson had begun, the words seemed to be passing over Lily, who was taking uncharacteristically few notes._

_ James tore a piece of parchment out of his book._

_ "Look," he scrawled. 'We can act as if nothing happened, if you like. You weren't yourself; I understand that. I won't tell anyone."_

_ He pushed it towards her on the desk, half hoping she'd answer with a profession of her feelings, but really knowing that his hopes were impossible. He was glad of the note writing, this was easier than talking to her; she'd probably run away. Still, her brief; 'Thanks, that would be great.' had stung. His need to forget her was reinforced. This was the end. No more staring at her in lessons, no more attempts at blackmailing her into to going to Hogsmeade with him, no more following her around and shouting compliments at her from a distance. Thinking back, some of the things he had done were unbelievable, he cringed at the thought of magnifying his voice at dinner, at the illegal fireworks spelling her name outside her window, at all the anonymous gifts he had levitated into her room. He supposed it was easier hear her reject him if he knew it wasn't really him she disliked, just some cocky persona he had invented to use when he was around her. It suddenly hit him how many times he'd made her angry, how many times he'd upset her. She was better off without him around._


	2. Chapter 2

_ "Goodbye, Love!" shouted Mrs Evans as she waved her daughter off for her seventh, and final year at school. "Be sure to write often and study hard!" She was smiling widely, so reminiscent of her younger daughter. _

_ "We're so proud of you, Lils," her father had said, hugging her tight. "Remember to give them hell!"_

_ Mrs Evans had rolled her eyes. "Be good," she said._

_ "Have fun!" her dad had called as she stepped onto the train, waving goodbye. A new badge glinted on her robes. _

_ James watched as Lily walked down the passage of the train, smiling to herself. Glancing into a rowdy compartment she stopped, pulled apart the sliding doors to find a load of second years joking about._

_ "Hey guys!" she smiled. "I know you're exited to get back to school, but could you tone it down just a little? I'd prefer it if we didn't break anything."_

_ The group looked up. One of them rolled their eyes. "Whatever," he said. _

_ "Excuse me," he said from where he was standing, right beside her. "Is that any way to speak to your new head girl?"_

_ Lily glanced over. James was standing there, in a rather cocky fashion, a great smile across his face. He saw her glance down to his chest. When she noticed the second shining badge pinned neatly next to his current Quiddich captain one, she looked sharply up, and as she did he straightened, looking down sheepishly. Damn, he wasn't supposed to be arrogant this year._

_ "You're head boy?" she'd asked with a tone full of a mixture of disbelief and disappointment._

_ James raised his hands. "Guilty as charged." _

_ "But… Remus…" _

_ To James this seemed like a plausible concern, he too had expected Moony to become head boy; he and Lily had been excellent as Gryffindor prefects last year, but he, James Potter, had been awarded the badge. "I guess not," shrugged James._

_ "Is he okay about it?" she asked, closing the doors softly. Typical Lily, worried about someone elses feelings. James thought about how close she and Remus had got last year; they were always doing rounds together and having emergency meetings to fill out paperwork. No matter how hard he'd tried to persuade, bribe and blackmail him, Remus had still refused to discuss the 'LIly situation' as he called it. He declined from telling James if she ever mentioned him and wouldn't even 'put in a good word' as James described it. _

_ "Yeah," he said. "I guess he is. He seemed pleased for me." _

_ Lily nodded. "Right. Want to go to the heads compartment, then?"_

_ James smiled. "Sure." _


	3. Chapter 3

James watched as Sirius sat down with a thud. Kicking his legs out in front of him, the tall, curly haired boy stretched out on the hard wooden bench.

"So, I hear you finally got yourself a date to the Yule Ball," he said. James glanced over to the opposite side of the hall for possibly the fiftieth time in the past half hour.

"Yeah," he replied, nonchalantly. "She's from Beaubatons."

Sirius whistled. "Nice, French. What's she like?" he asked.

"Her name's Marie." James distractedly answered.

In the past year and a half, James had been through nine or ten disastrous and extremely short relationships, the longest lasting three weeks. In the process, he'd received a terrible reputation; the vicious rumours were beginning to make him sound a lot more like Sirius than he'd ever wanted. Remus looked up from a newspaper.

"How did you guys meet?" he asked, with seeming interest.

James' eyes again flickered to a couple beside the great doors of the hall, but he tore his eyes away to answer his friend.

"We got chatting in the grounds last week, I impressed her with my extensive knowledge of French."

Sirius snorted. "What knowledge would that be then, Prongs? You've only been once, and that was four years ago!"

James rolled his eyes.

She was laughing at a joke, her green eyes sparkling in the light as the peals of laughter rang from her. A hand reached up to her ivory cheek, brushing a strand of her deep red hair from her face. Amos Diggory. He was a seeker, a Hufflepuff, an idiot.

"Man, I still can't believe the Ministry wouldn't let us have the Triwizard Tournament. I would have totally got to compete," said Sirius. Remus laughed.

"Yeah, in your dreams, mate. Still, I hear Dumbledore is totally pro-Tournament, maybe someday he'll revive it." Sirius shook his head.

"But it'll be too late for me to be in it."

Remus rolled his eyes.

"You wouldn't have stood a chance anyway, right James?" he asked. James was still looking across the room, a glare forming on his face. How long had she been seeing that moron? Two weeks now? The prat probably didn't even realise just how lucky he was.

"James…?" Remus questioned, before noticing James' stare and following his gaze. His eyes rested on Lily. Remus turned back to face Sirius. He brought his hand to his forehead and rested his elbow on the table. "This is not good." Sirius waved his hand in front of James' face.

"Earth to Jimmy," he said. "Padfoot calling." James appeared to snap out of it.

"Hmm?" He answered, looking up questioningly.

"You're pining over Evans again," Remus accused sternly, folding his newspaper.

"Uh, no…" James scoffed.

"Don't lie to us, Prongs," said Sirius. "We know you better than anyone. It's not going to convince us." James shook his head, breathing out in disbelief. This was stupid. He was supposed to be over her by now; he should be over her by now.

"Truth is, James," began Remus. "We do know you. It hasn't escaped our notice that you like her quite a lot, but I really think that you need to hear the hard and fast truth." Sirius was nodding.

"Yeah, it's better you hear it from us than from her." James exhaled.

"I know, guys. I know she isn't interested." His two friends exchanged glances.

"We know you know that," said Remus, more softly. "It's just, you keep clinging on, mate. Time to let go, yeah?"

He let out a sigh. "You're right. It's just hard, that's all." He glanced back over to the two of them, just in time for her to lean up and kiss Diggory on the cheek, and wave him goodbye as she left.

Remus appeared satisfied.

"Well, I hope you have fun tonight with Marie." He said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah," Sirius cut in. "Is she fit?" James thought back to three days previous, where he had wooed and won the Parisian girl's heart. It had taken surprisingly little to gain her affections, and he had seen her very little since. Was she fit? he asked herself. He supposed she was; long shiny hair, pleasant smile, nice body. These things he recollected emotionlessly - she was no Lily Evans, that was for sure.

"Yeah," he answered. "She is."

Bidding farewell to his friends, James stood up and headed out of the great hall, avoiding passing where Diggory was stood by using the opposite door. He tried to forget the way their fingers had entwined as he took the long route to the owlery; his alternative choice of doorway had inconvenienced him considerably. Entering the cold, echoey room didn't lighten his mood even slightly, the package he'd been expecting (a pocket watch he'd left behind after summer and was now missing) hadn't arrived from his parents at breakfast, and after a thorough search of the owls, he walked away and out onto the open balcony. An owl flew past him, and landed on a nearby perch. It wasn't for him.

Looking out over the grounds, he sighed. He was head boy, dammit! He was supposed to be having the best year ever, but it felt surprisingly flat. He missed joking around, having no responsibilities and even actually having a curfew to break. But over all, what really stood out to him was how much he missed the excitement and possibility of winning over Lily Evans. Sure, he always knew it was a long shot, but it was always possible. Now he'd given up the hope and the excitement of the chase were gone, and that sucked - but it didn't suck as much as the pain he felt when he looked at her and knew he'd never be near her.

He'd tried not looking at her, avoiding her altogether, but now they were head boy and girl that didn't work. He was trying to relax around her, be her friend - and he had to admit, they made a good team. They had similar ideas on what they wanted from the school, he had the ambition and foresight and she had the know-how and determination that had improved the student system so dramatically over the last couple of months. Unwittingly, they had gelled, they were getting on so well, and that only made him want her more.


	4. Chapter 4

The halls of Hogwarts had never seemed so desolate than they did on that afternoon, James was walking around aimlessly; term was almost over so it wasn't as if he even had any homework he could be doing. Everyone was getting ready for the ball that evening, everyone except him, that was. He figured he'd go and take a bath, pull on the dress robes his mother had purchased for him, drag a comb through his hair (backwards) and he'd be done, and in less than an hour at that. He never could understand how a person could take so long to prepare themself; he could think of at least one girl who definitely couldn't get better looking. But, he reminded himself, he shouldn't be thinking about her.

He slumped down against a wall, under a great arch in the school's outdoor walkway, looking out over the grounds. He wasn't particularly looking forward to that night, where he would have to wear a stupid outfit and dance and make small talk to a girl he not only barely knew but who had only a basic grasp of the English language. He sighed. Oh well, he would have to make the best of it. Perhaps he and Marie would turn out to be the perfect pairing; maybe she would turn out to be stunningly eloquent and he would dazzle her with his vast literary knowledge and fabulous dance moves. Perhaps he would be swept away with her beauty and charm and they would dance until dawn. His eyes scanned across the grounds and settled on a gaggle of Beaubatons girls. They were laughing and walking together, their pale blue uniforms standing out against their lush green surroundings. Yeah, James thought. He'd make a real effort tonight. His past crushes were behind him, all the failed relationships: history. He would take tonight as it came, and make sure he and Marie had a bloody great time too.

As they walked towards the school, James focused, in the midst of them was Marie, laughing with the rest. Damn, why did girls always have to travel in packs? He swung his legs around and stood up, walking briskly towards the girls. He was James Potter, and he could be as cocky as he liked; it didn't matter because people's opinions were already set and Marie liked him.

"Bonjour, Marie," he called, walking close to them. A few of the group, Marie included, stopped to greet him. He couldn't help thinking she didn't seem too pleased to see him.

"Uh… Voulez-vous a… walk with… moi?" he finished lamely.

Marie muttered something to her friends, who nodded their farewells and quickly left. "In fact, Jacques, I want to tell you something."

Jaques? What? "Um, actually it's James."

She looked slightly affronted. "Oh… We say Jaques in France."

Perhaps that was true, or perhaps she was covering up a forgotten name… James wasn't sure but he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. He held his arm out for her to take, and smiling, he looked down at her. "Milady, care to join me for a stroll?" She eyed him warily. His arm still remained outstretched. "Would you like to walk with me?" he asked again, smiling.

She still did not accept his arm. He sighed. This was going to be a long night.

"You had something to tell me?" he asked lightly, turning to face her. She did not return his warm grin.

"Yes," she said, coldly. "I apologise, for I have arranged to go to the ball tonight with another boy."

"Ahh," said James, wringing his hands behind his back. Even Marie had deserted him. Still, he couldn't say he blamed her, they barely knew each other and he wouldn't exactly class himself 'a catch' - especially now he had a fiendish reputation as a womaniser. "Well, that's okay, I suppose you will have a good night."

"Yes," she nodded.

"Well, I hope you have fun!" he smiled through gritted teeth.


	5. Chapter 5

"If it's any consolation it took them half an hour to pull all of her hair out of that wall," he heard a voice say, as a person approached the bench where he was sitting. Absent mindedly he glanced up, and then did a double take, gazing blindly up at the girl in front of him - as if looking into a bright light.

She was a vision in green, her eyes shining brightly, her hair cascading over her shoulders in a waterfall of fiery curls.

Lily.

He shook his head. "Sorry, what was that?" He asked, leaning in pointedly. _You're over her, remember? _He berated himself internally, not admitting that his heart was now beating alarmingly fast.

"That… Marie. Marie, wasn't it?" She replied.

He looked up in confusion. "Why…?"

She smirked, at least he could have sworn she smirked, but then it was gone with a flash, replaced with a sombre, wide eyed look that she directed towards him. "I might have, well, hexed her."

If James hadn't been completely focused on her words before that moment he certainly was now. He wondered if it was possible to die of shock, and if so was it possible that he had done so already but hadn't realised yet. "What?" he managed to yelp out. "Why?"

Lily smiled widely, but her eyes betrayed her true emotion. He felt a surge of anger; who had upset her like this? It wasn't on. It just wasn't on. She was still faking a grin when she spoke, barely audible over the far away pulse of the dance floor they were so detached from. "She's here with Amos," was the whisper, pulled through grimaced, pained lips.

"That slimy…" James snarled under his breath. Fair enough, he and Marie barely knew each other; she had every right to be with whoever she so wished, but Diggory? That moron had passed up the chance to be with _Lily freaking Evans _who happened to _actually like him _for christsakes! And he'd hurt her in the process! What sort of a twat would do that? Who the hell did he think he was? James felt his hand involuntarily tighten around his wand. "Just wait until I get my hands on him…"

"James Potter, don't you bloody dare!" she ordered with great force. "The teachers only just let it slide because I've never done anything like that before, if you get involved we might both be in trouble!"

James was at a loss, standing with her between him, and the untimely death of Amos Diggory. He seemed torn between doing as she wanted, and chasing revenge on her behalf, but then it struck him. It wasn't entirely on her behalf. Yeah, sure, he wanted to make Diggory pay for what he'd done to Lily, but part of it would be for himself. He wanted to get one up on the guy who had so easily gained and tossed away everything James had wanted but failed to attain for so long. He wanted to see him cowering in his presence - gain proof that Diggory wasn't better than him, proof that he was superior.

Lily was right - he was a selfish prick. No wonder she didn't like him.

Clenching his fists, he sat back down. "That tosser," he mumbled angrily. "How could he do that? I mean, why would he even look at her when you…" he caught himself. Crap. He hadn't meant… He was over her. Over her.

She rolled her eyes.

Whatever, he thought to himself. She'd never like him anyway; he was pretty sure he'd blown his chances a long time ago, they might as well have a laugh whilst they were here.

"Well," he smiled broadly. "We can't have the lady alone at the ball, can we?"

Standing up, he swept into a low bow, offering her his hand. He was going to dance with Lily Evans. Lily Evans would dance with him. Together, they would dance. Sure, they would never be together, never be 'Lily and James', or 'James and Lily', but that night would be theirs.

He was taken by surprise when he heard her incredulous laugh pierce the air, and quickly glanced up to gauge her reaction. She was smiling, but sighed in a sort of feigned exasperation. "You're such a predictable mong, Potter," she laughed, roughly seizing his hand and pulling him around and away from the school.

He had fully expected her to ignore him, or hit him over the head, so this sudden contact took him by surprise and its casual nature hit him like a brick wall - he could hold hands with Lily Evans forever, it just felt so right. But, just seconds later, she released her grasp, continuing to walk on until she was a few paces ahead of him. James stood, watching her walk away, before she stopped and slowly turned towards him. She looked at him. He looked at her. She cocked her head to signal he follow her, and he did, walking alongside her, but with a reasonable distance separating the two. Friendly. They were friends. Well, if they were friends then there was no harm in them having a little fun, was there?

"So, Evans," he said. "I know your secret."

She eyed him suspiciously, masking her alarm well, but not well enough. She seemed to consider her response carefully, before finally replying; "And what secret would that be, Potter?" in a strangely high pitched tone.

"The one where this whole thing was just an elaborate ruse for you to spend tonight with me, of course!"

Lily seemed to relax completely. "Oh." She shook her head, as if to rid it of unwanted thoughts. With a snap, she returned to her old self. "Absolutely. I arranged the whole thing. Our dates running off together? That was me. I'm the sneaky cupid of cheating bastards. The involvement of that girl from Beaubatons? Yeah, that was me too… I had some sort of grudge against her… she…" Lily seemed to rack her brains. "What did she do?"

James laughed. "You can't even think of a reason to put this on her! You're too nice!"

Lily's face broke into a sparkling grin. Merlin, she was gorgeous when she smiled. "Well, whatever she did, it was bad enough for me to blackmail her into seducing you, then… _him,_ then make me still want to hex her, even after all that!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he laughed. "Who said anything about _her _seducing _me_? I'll have you know that James Potter is always the seducer, never the seducee!"

The laugh Lily responded with was less like the incredulous one that she normally flung his way, her sharp, sarcastic comeback to his normal childish arrogance, and more one of surprise. "Seducee? I don't think that's even a real word! And if it were, I would be almost certain that you were one. After all, your seduction techniques leave a lot to be desired!"

James stopped walking. She looked at him, an air of confusion about her. He shook his head, before sending her way a little something he liked to refer to as 'the look'. She laughed in response. "I, James Potter, solemnly swear that I am the best bloody seducer in the whole of Hogwarts. And I can prove it."


End file.
